Systems for distributing and presenting images from cameras are often used in applications for surveillance, inspection, security, and/or remote sensing. Processing of images in such systems is known. For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,185,667 and 5,359,363, there is described a device for omnidirectional image viewing. The imaging device is based on mathematical correction of a circular image obtained from a fisheye lens. The device is preferably used to provide a wide viewing angle without having to rotate the camera that is acquiring the images.
In some situations the distributed images does not fit into the presentation application and then have to be adapted to the size allowed by the application. Currently, the normal way of making images from a camera suit such an application is to scale down or crop the images to suitable size. However, by scaling down or cropping the images important visual information will be reduced or erased from the presentation of the images.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,952 there is described means and a method for-providing a television signal format where the increased vertical resolution and the wider aspect ratio of a High Definition Television service can be achieved and where the signal format still is compatible with existing standard receivers. The patent document discloses a television studio camera provided with processing equipment for changing the aspect ratio of the image from the camera and for transforming it to a standard definition television image. The change of aspect ratio is achieved by compressing the central part of each line and compressing the beginning and the end of each line nonlinearly. Then samples from alternate lines are selected and combined to make up the standard television image.